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LESSON 3: CREATION

“According to His story, God spoke all of creation into existence. By His Word He made everything out of nothing… According to His story, God created the heavens, the earth, and every living thing in six days.” – The HOPE, Chapter 1

After reading the preceding excerpt from The HOPE video, let’s consider a few of these concepts. First, because God is all powerful, not limited by anything, He can create however He chooses, even simply by speaking. This concept is clearly presented in the Bible:

“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3)

“…by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed.” (2 Peter 3:5)

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader. In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

We are really excited to release our latest single, which is a studio version of Shadow of the Cross.

This follows up the acoustic version that we released for Easter 2018. We pray that this song leads you to worship God and thank Him for our Savior, Jesus Christ. You can hear more about our heart behind writing Shadow of the Cross in the video above. And you can stream or download the song using the buttons below.

SERMON TEXT

LESSON 2: WHO IS GOD?

“Before there was anything, before time or space or physical matter, there was God…One who is far beyond our ability to fully comprehend or describe. Through His story, we find that God is Spirit without a beginning or an end. He is complete within Himself, lacking in nothing. He is all knowing and all wise. He is perfect in every way. He is not limited by anything.” – The HOPE, Chapter 1

The first week of our study presented evidence that the Bible is the most trustworthy reference point in all the world for understanding reality. The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself, and it reveals truth about God in two ways. One way is by demonstration: recording God’s action and interaction with the world and humankind. Another way is by declaration: making direct statements or claims about the nature and character of God.

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader. In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

SERMON TEXT

LESSON 1: THE BIBLE

The Universal Question: Is there a purpose…for the world and for me?

The HOPE video begins with these words…

“Throughout time people have considered the world in which we live; the complexity and beauty of nature, the mystery of life and death, the depth of human joy and pain …and they have wondered, ‘How did it all come to be? Is this world the result of chance…or design? Is there something, or someone, behind it all? And if there is such a being, then what is He like? Does He have a purpose for this world? Does He have a purpose for me in this world? Does He have a purpose for me beyond this world?” – The HOPE video, Introduction

Jeremiah 29:13 reads: “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”

This is the heart of Quest. Some of our kids may be asking questions about the existence of God, others may just be wanting to know Him more. In both cases He promises to be found when we search wholeheartedly for Him.

It begins with you and me. As we dive in to this study, be prepared to let God show you who He is, and to discover new things about God and yourself. Determine that you will “search for Him with your whole heart,” and then lead the children to do the same.

ABOUT FAMILY QUEST: At Reston Bible Church, we firmly believe that parents are a child’s first and most important spiritual leader. In order to support you that mission, we have created a parent devotional and some discussion starters to go along with each lesson your grade school age children are learning at Quest on Sundays. Our hope and prayer is that this material will help you to engage with your children around the topics they are learning on Sunday mornings, answer their questions, go deeper with them, and find real, day-to-day applications. We are honored to be able to partner with you in the critical task of sharing Christ with the next generation.

SERMON TEXT

In response to Christ’s command to be disciples and make disciples, fulfilling the mission of RBC, “to know Christ and make Him known,” we have created a ministry called Equipping the Saints (EtS).

EtS was created to provide systematic teaching for the entire church body on the essentials of being and making disciples. The core courses below are set in an environment of mutual edification, exhortation, and spiritual growth that will benefit every follower of Jesus, and draw the body at RBC together in unity.

Courses are mostly done in 4 sessions, and are held on Sunday mornings, so that everyone in the body can participate. Registration for the Fall semester is open. The desire of the Pastors and Elders is that everyone who calls RBC home, would work their way through all six of the core courses.

One Body, Many Parts: Where Do I Fit?

Sundays, 10:45 AM – September 9 – 30 Lead Teacher: Pastor Mike Meyers

This broad orientation to the “church” and to RBC’s history, beliefs, and ministries will cover what it means to be a part of the body of Christ at RBC and help you answer questions like, “Who am I?” “How has God fitted me for His service?” “Where do I go from here?” We will explore things like personality, spiritual gifts, and passions to help you understand how God has uniquely created you for growth and fruitfulness in His kingdom.

Firm Foundation: Essential Christian Beliefs

This course will help you understand our core Christian beliefs regarding the nature of God, the nature of sin and the gospel, Christ’s work in making us holy (spiritually whole and set apart for God), the eternal security of the believer, the inerrancy of Scripture, and the Church, and more. In the course, you will develop your ability to explain these to others.

Engaging the Living Word

Sunday, 9:00 AM – September 9 – 30 Lead Teacher: Pastor Jim Supp

Covering the importance and power of the Word of God in the life of the believer, this course provides an overview of the Bible (structure, literary styles, history, big picture storyline), basic tools and techniques for Bible reading, interpretation, and Scripture engagement, and plans for Bible reading.

World Mission Survey

This two-session class is held annually in the fall, and covers the biblical basis for world missions, a survey of the history of missions, RBC’s place in that history, and how individuals in the body can engage. Students will have an opportunity to learn more about RBC’s missions committee, missions internship program, short-term missions opportunities, and ways to “adopt” a national or international missionary as a family or Shepherd Group. This class is recommended for everyone at RBC that has a heart for reaching the world with the good news of Jesus.

SERMON TEXT

We usually post discussion questions for Shepherd Groups with the sermon audio/video each week. Last Sunday, we hosted a missionary speaker who works in a sensitive area of the world, so we cannot post this message online. However, here are the Shepherd Group questions from Sunday’s message.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR SMALL GROUPS

What was one thing you found challenging, insightful, helpful, or difficult to understand from this message?

Read and discuss Revelation 5. What does this passage reveal about the person and work of Jesus Christ in the past, present, and future? What does it mean that Jesus is a Lion? What does it mean that He is a Lamb? Why was He alone worthy to open the scroll?

Why does Jesus, as the Lion, deserve our complete obedience?

Why does Jesus, as the Lamb, deserve our entire life and being?

Why does Jesus, as the Lion and the Lamb, deserve our unending worship?

Why is it so crucial that Christians view Jesus as both the Lion and the Lamb?

Spend time in prayer praising God for the work He is doing in the region of the world where the speaker serves. Pray for the continued ministry there and that the Lord would continue to bring many to faith in Jesus.

A few hundred Senior and Junior High youth recently returned from our 2018 Summer Camp in Mt. Hope, WV. We saw the Lord do some incredible things in the lives of students as we examined the topic of fear through a biblical lens. Thank you to the many volunteers who graciously gave of their time, talents and treasure to serve our students and show them the love of Christ throughout the week. Thank you, RBC, for being a generous church!

In this segment of our discussion on worship, the panel considers how to encourage and lead those who feel held back in their expression of worship. Our worship must be anchored by our knowledge of who God is.

We welcome questions that you might have regarding anything discussed for potential further dialogue, etc. You can send those in to worship@restonbible.org. We pray these videos will encourage you and stir your affection for Jesus and His Word.

About Us

RBC exists to know Jesus Christ and to make Him known. We seek to accomplish that through biblical preaching, teaching, and authentic Christian community here in Northern Virginia and around the world.